I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to camping equipment and, more particularly, to an easy-to-carry, easy and safely to apply, accelerant for igniting friendly fires such as campfires and logs in a home fireplace.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with devices for aiding in igniting fires out-of-doors. For example, liquid petroleum-based accelerants such as kerosene, gasoline, diesel fuel, and the like, have been routinely used, but some of these, especially gasoline, are unsafe to use because of their volatility. Also, containers of such materials do not lend themselves to ready transport by hikers and campers.
The Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,769 and the Schweickhart U.S. Pat. No. 8,216,322 each disclose a non-combustible container in which a corrugated paper is rolled and the corrugations are filled with paraffin or a mixture of mineral spirits (turpentine) and paraffin such that when the container is opened and the contents easily ignited by a match, the unit can be placed beneath kindling and logs to provide a long burning source to ensure that the kindling and logs are set afire.
In another arrangement shown in the Banner et al U.S. Pat. No. 8,808,409, the camper carries a flammable liquid in a spray bottle along with a quantity of wood shavings, chips or pellets. When a campfire of logs and branches is to be started, the user must use the spray bottle to spray and saturate the wood shavings, chips or pellets, which are then ignited and overlayed with kindling material and logs. Inherent in this approach are problems of unintended spillage and the sheer bulk of the materials that make it impractical to transport when hiking and camping.
It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide an accelerant for starting a campfire or logs in a fireplace that is of a gel-like consistency such that it can be squeezed from a compressible tube, much like toothpaste, and that is sufficiently tacky that is will adhere to kindling and/or logs to be ignited and that can be safely, yet readily ignited and will burn over a time sufficient to start split logs aflame.